Travel brands trying to beat the heat with ‘coolcation’

Global warming means tourists are increasingly looking for colder destinations to spend their summer vacations, and brands are making their case as the place to be

A new word has entered the summertime travel lexicon: “coolcation.” Identified by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the biggest trends for 2024, and a recent addition to Cambridge Dictionary, coolcation is a trending alternative to the hot summer vacation.

Key takeaways

• Consumers are more explicitly talking about the impact of weather and climate change on their travel decisions, and the ways brands and destinations are responding to this shift;
• Destinations are increasingly adjusting their product and position to reflect year-round experiences, especially in the areas of outdoor, adventure and wellness;
• Another byproduct of the coolcation concept is nighttime tourism, or escaping the heat of the day by sightseeing after dark;
• There are plenty of earned media opportunities highlighting cooler summer destinations, with recent coverage in the likes of the Independent (“Beat the heat: the ‘cool’ European destinations to visit in summer 2024”).

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